Stolen Dance: My 47th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that Iran is considering of pulling out of the Football/Soccer men's World Cup due to both travel restrictions under the regime of that dreadful American leader, & their war on the US that counts as a geopolitical tension with either Iraq (For which is a good country, but it's dangerous over there if you're living), the UAE (If the Iraqis chose to withdraw, but they since have qualified) or the lucky loser country (Although Italy would've liked to be a part of it as a strong higher ranked team, even if they lost to Bosnia & Herzegovina in the UEFA World Cup qualification playoff final (Imagine if they lost it from there, just like Jimmy Spithill's address to the media about Oracle Team USA being trailed against Emirates Team New Zealand back in 2013 during the America's Cup in San Francisco before making that certain comeback that was inevitable meaning or therefore I should say that they were down but not out (And also Toutai 'Kef' Kefu's comments at halftime during the Wallabies when they also trailed against the AB's back in 2001 during a Bledisloe Cup test in Sydney (A year before they last won the Bledisloe, then New Zealand have been holders since back in 2003), saying that they know how to beat these blokes, & they had delivered when he came up with the winning try to retain the Bledisloe Cup that Wayne 'Smithy the Professor' Smith (The future women's World Cup winning coach for the Black Ferns at the delayed 2021 tournament held in 2022 (That's 3 years before the England Red Roses women took over as the current holders when they hosted the last women's tournament, & beat the surprise package of Canada (Who would claim the biggest upset/boil over in international women's rugby by bowling New Zealand over in the semi at Bristol for which Rejean would be ecstatic about the result) in the final at Twickenham, the home of rugby) had lost his job as the All Blacks coach, as they allowed John Mitchell (Who was the England women's national rugby team coach last year when he took over from Simon Middleton) to take over until after the events of the 2003 men's Rugby World Cup due to a semifinal defeat against Australia), but the others are Sweden (Who haven't been to a tournament since also back in 2018) against Poland (The last time the Poles failed to qualify was back in 2014), as well as Denmark (Same as Poland that they haven't missed a tournament since also back in 2014) Vs Czechia (Formerly Czech Republic in which they have not been to a tournament since back in 2006), & Kosovo (Who had never qualified at a World Cup before in history) against Türkiye (Who last appeared also back in 2002 under the name Turkey when they finished 3rd as they bamboozled the co-hosts at the time of Korea Republic during the bronze final) therefore failing to qualify for the 3rd tournament in a row (They haven't been since 2014 along with the Bosnians who are ranked in the 70s according to the Football/Soccer world rankings) on Wednesday morning New Zealand time as of March 30th, with a French referee named Clement Turpin (The Italian team were having bad memories with that ref when their chances of making the tournament had been slipped away by a late goal scored by North Macedonia who sent Italy packing by failing to qualify again in 2022) being named the person with the whistle for that crucial game, but that is unlikely to happen) considered them alternatives of taking the Iranians place, just like way back in 1992 when the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia beat Denmark to secure qualification for Euro '92, but they were disqualified for being sanctioned of causing to start a civil war (And they would've won the Euros should a civil war had not been taken place), so the Danes took their place, & went on to win the tournament hosted by Sweden as they beat pre-tournament favourites & world champions Germany in the final where it remains one of the gigantic shocks in sporting history (But sorry Greece from 2004, they like to take that back) as a moment that defined the unpredictable beauty of tournament football/soccer, according to one of the late Leon Benbaruk's stories that I must've barely remembered from 20 years ago back in 2006, & of course before the men's T20 Cricket World Cup this year that Bangladesh pulled out at the last minute, citing fears of security concerns so Scotland who originally failed to qualify, had been brought in to replace them as the highest ranked team when they joined England, West Indies, Nepal & tournament debutants Italy in their group, but this is like the years in 1934 such as England, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Uruguay & Wales in 1934, then Argentina in 1938, as well as France, India & Turkey (Now Türkiye) in 1950, & the Soviet Union long ago in 1974 when they boycotted the Football/Soccer men's World Cup, but Haiti (Who will never be replaced unlike Iran) won't send its fans due to a travel crackdown being issued by the US except the players, coaching & support staff who will go along throughout.

And secondly that Te Kaha Stadium in the city of Christchurch is officially open on March 27th by the mayor of Christchurch of Phil Mauger, as well as the New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, & rugby legend slash millionaire of Dan Carter who tried & tested that new venue that is as part of the last phase of the city's post-earthquake rebuild which cost a mile fortune of NZ 683 million dollars as they marked a major milestone for that the venue has a bit of a European football/soccer arena feel or vibe, & is set to rival Brisbane's Lang Park as the most atmospheric in the Southern Hemisphere, for which will host its first rugby game with the home team Crusaders playing against the New South Wales Waratahs during the opening match of the Super Round being staged in Otautahi on ANZAC weekend, while the first All Blacks test of the year will be against France at that venue for that will be a sell-out (And tickets for the Italy & Ireland tests in both Wellington & Auckland are available as of March 30th), but there is something interesting beyond the rulebook as the Dupont legislation (Where players will have to, & must be behind the kicker who kicks when the referee says "Retreat", "Retire" or "Keep coming") is rugby's version of football/soccer's automated offside loophole (Where referees would have a look upstairs to the VAR to refer a player who is possibly in front of the linesperson in the lead up to the goal) for which is similar (A penalty is given if a player who is ahead of the kicker in rugby, while in football/soccer that the goal won't be confirmed if a player is advancing past the linesperson therefore it counts as an offside according to the VAR), so too is ice hockey where an offside will be called if all players are beyond the blue line, therefore resulting in a face-off (And the call of tackle by the ref once a player carrying the ball whose knees have hit the deck, is similar to the referee shouting held in league, & also the ref saying break in boxing, kickboxing & MMA because it always results in a penalty for a no clear release (Tackler not releasing (Or more likely no release) for which is colloquially known as failing to let go of the tackled player) in rugby, then also a penalty in league for being held too long in a tackle, & a offending boxer/kickboxer/mixed martial arts fighter whose points being taken away or at least disqualified for hitting on the break for that is an infraction of the loopholes).

And thirdly in the gaming that I was playing a Cricket 26 game including a test between Australia & England who I played as when I recreated that Boxing Day test late last year which took place, at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground where the boundaries are bigger than Lord's when I played as South Africa against the Aussies in a test match that I was recreating last year's World Test Championship final, so my new tactic is to move the batter up at the crease for an opportunity to contain a bowler by hitting sixes all along (And I mainly hit fours until each player scores a century every time I play a cricket test (Compared to limited overs such as ODI & T20 where I always mainly hit sixes, but I score up to 500 runs in a test match (I scored between over 900 runs as England when they declared their sufficient runs since Australia scored into over 390, while the Aussies had a shallow score of 86 so South Africa scored over 585 runs when they had their declaration for having enough runs on the board), then I go full ruthless aggression mode of hitting sixes until the team reaches 500 runs in the test match format), then 400 in a One Day International match, & 300 in a T20 match so that the opposition would have to chase a gargantuan total) in a custom difficulty that I came up called novice, so I avoid getting dismissed when the fielders who are at the deep, especially take a catch even if I play a poor or I should say, a weak shot (And I'm prone of being risky of getting bowled, LB or also especially, stumped if a spinner bowls while the wicket-keeper gets close onto the wicket for a chance of a batter getting out, even if I'm vulnerable of missing that shot).

And finally that I have revealed about Pops that his memory is good according to plan just like me for which my memory is decent (And how did I remember like anything from the past? So that my brain is always good) since he took the meds since 2024 (And he has not lost his phone, wallet & keys since), as well as his well being a decent one, but he mainly goes to the Commercial Hotel pub twice daily like the one in the afternoon for which is like his afternoon tea (For which he had always goes to the late Carole's place (In that the house is still up for sale since they did a spruce up) for a cuppa when she was alive) & the other after dinner to have a non-alcoholic beer beverage, as well as catching up with old-timers such as his friends from the past like Sandra Kyle for example that she visited our place for the 3rd time to see the doves feeding along with the sparrows on March 31st (A day after she visited for the 2nd time, but the doves did not turn up since they left already).

So that is my 695th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 47th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Camouflage: My 46th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in Super Rugby Pacific that the Hurricanes demolish the Reds with a comprehensive blowout during round 7 of the competition at the newly named Hnry Stadium in Wellington (Including a hat-trick from departing winger Fehi Fineanganofo for which was the player who surprised me, compared to Caleb Tangitau the Highlander who could become the next big thing in New Zealand rugby if picked for the AB's under new coach Dave Rennie since Sevu Reece is leaving after this season to head overseas) to remain on top of the standings (A day after the Highlanders snapped a 2 game losing run when they hammered Moana Pasifika at North Harbour Stadium in Albany by a margin of 20 points) before the Blues had a crushing but convincing win as they punished over the Fijian Drua (Who had starting hooker Bradley Slater pick up a brace in that game, but that try of the match & maybe the season went to Payton Spencer (Son of legend Carlos who was delighted about his son's try that he scored where he ran all the way whilst chasing the ball from a grubber kick) who would went on to score his first Super Rugby Pacific try, even in his first start in just Payton's second game since his debut against the New South Wales Waratahs (Who would gone on to beat Australia's best for that is the ACT Brumbies) in round 6, & then Caleb Clarke (Who reminds him of reminiscing his dad Eroni where he made an impact during the 90s period which was the early days of Super Rugby that writes a whole new chapter as part of its 30 years of celebrating the competition) scoring a try at the buzzer which had sounded that the Fijian Drua who were devastated to lose at the death) to take out the inaugural Joeli Vidiri trophy (The size of the trophy is based on a bowl that they used kava (For that is an alcoholic drink where Pops once tried it, but there is certain restrictions to it) with back in Fiji) in honour of the late Fijian born Blues & All Blacks player who passed away in 2022 (And the Drua had to perform the Bole in the changing sheds (Dressing room) towards the children of the late Vidiri, such as son Tim, & daughter Rachael since Fiji is not part of SANZAAR under the loopholes that they cannot perform it onto the field) due to a kidney disease similar to his late Blues teammate Jonah Lomu, & also the late Inga Tuigamala the Samoan Kiwi rugby & league player who passed away in the same year as Vidiri, then the Chiefs would overpower the Western Force by 10 points as they overcame a team bus which had a mechanical failure by breaking it down before the players were transferred to their mini-vans to arrive at a venue.

And secondly that I was comparing the gameplay of Rugby League 26 (Made by Big Ant Studios who always mess up due to the bugs & glitches that they are having) for which was the worst league game in recent memory (And I used gameplay sliders, but I stopped using it because of me finding it tough to play, & I had to revert it to the rookie difficulty level throughout due to it much being easier), to Rugby League 2 (Also made by Sidhe Interactive back then) which was by far, the greatest league computer game of all-time (Back in 2005 there was no set restart to start with, compared to last year & this year where they have six again now where a non-offending team has been awarded if the offending team commits a infraction, such as a ruck violation, & inside the 10 (And also there was no Gold Coast Titans & Dolphins team throughout when RL2 was released back then, although they have it now on RL26 that came out last year since these sides were first played in both the 2007 & 2023 seasons respectively (The Titans first appeared on the World Cup edition of Rugby League 2, while in Rugby League 26 that they first introduced the Dolphins team that currently competes in the NRL) as well as the skipper's referral AKA captain's challenge featured in the RL26 game via update, not RL2 that they did not feature that review system similar to cricket, while there was a video referee that appeared when Rugby League 2 was released, compared to them now being called as the bunker (League's equivalent of rugby's TMO, cricket's TV umpire (Formerly 3rd umpire), football/soccer's VAR, & motor racing's race director (Known as driving standards observer there in Australia, especially the Supercars Championship as it's referring to of course) also when Rugby League 26 came out) that I still thoroughly enjoy.

And thirdly that the food news that come up such as me having the butter chicken that I made on the 22nd of March at our place, a day before I had beef schnitzel with chips & salad when I went with Pops at St John's Club Elms Restaurant on March 23rd, then having a stockade burger with chips at Rutland Arms Inn on the 25th of March where Pops accompanied me, before we returned to St John's Club where I had the beef burger on March 27th, & we had the chicken stir fry with rice for dinner here at home on the 29th of March.

And lastly that it has been 86 days since the last time me & Pops saw both Aunty Tan & Rejean as of March 29th because I both miss them since they left here in Whanganui on January 2nd this year, & she chats to Pops then me on the phone, but I always count the number of days that I last saw them who both live in Mont-Saint Hilaire in Canada which is near Montreal known for its landmarks such as Bell Centre for that is an ice hockey arena where they host the home game of the Montreal Canadiens team competing in the NHL, as well as the infamous Olympic Stadium that the venue hosted the 1976 Olympic Summer Games, & the most famous of them all which is Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve Formula One circuit that appears on the Gran Turismo 7 game since the Spec III update that had dropped in back in December last year.

So that is my 694th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 46th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Drag Path: My 45th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that the 2020s decade has been plagued by a series of unfortunate events or disruptions I should say, such as COVID first when they had the pandemic in 2020 right up until 2023 where it ended, then the tariff policies in the United States had already been introduced like last year by that dreadful American leader who went on to win the election the year before once again, & now the 3 wars such as the one in Gaza that they used to have from 2023 until last year, & recently they had both such as that dreadful invasion since 2022 that I'm always keeping it clean & respectful in order to avoid backlash & getting offended by the country who started it, & then Iran by US forces who escalated towards them since it happened last month with the assassination of the Iranian supreme leader that triggered a certain invasion that is currently going on at the moment (And I mean, that is awful!), but recent updates that nations in the Middle East have since closed airspace due to that shocking conflict that they're having (Well, this is just, the beginning, & the war in Iran has handed the country who began that terrible invasion a lifeline in terms of a beleaguered economy that has been boosted by their revenues & its ability to ramp up its own invasion with Ukraine, meanwhile the Ukrainians have agreed to sign a deal with the Saudis as part of its defense coordination bipartisan pact as the Gulf countries who turn to Kyiv for help on defending against drone assaults which was on the 27th of March), while the fuel prices are still increasingly high at the moment around the world, especially here in New Zealand due to that Iran conflict that had sent into a turmoil.

And secondly that the 2006 FIFA World Cup PlayStation 2 game that I requested to Dad who bought it for me on Trade Me will not arrive until a fortnight's time post-Easter weekend as of March 29th this year due to the workers from Trade Me are taking 2 days off on Good Friday, & Easter Sunday as a mark of respect due to the celebration of the death of that late holy leader who got crucified (And I did not know that Easter exactly comes from the Pagans) so that the staff can spend time with their families (And this means I would have to wait for a bit longer for that), but I'm looking forward of watching the Football/Soccer men's World Cup on TV which is happening in June & July (And there were 32 teams competing in the tournament 20 years ago, but now this year that it's been expanded to 48, up from the original 32 that they used to have from 1998, right until the most recent tournament in 2022), although I can't because of Pops isn't always a football/soccer fan since the sport is less exciting just like league & gridiron than rugby (In which Pops prefers that sport), & we used to have a fan of the sport of my old friend & mentor of the late Leon Benbaruk (A Liverpool FC fan that he used to be, as well as the UK rockers Pink Floyd that he is also a fanatic with, just like we also used to have the late Carole as our tennis follower throughout) who passed away last year due to health issues (The first time I met him was in 2004 on New Year's Eve, 19 years before the last time I saw him that it was in late July 2023 where he left Whanganui when the Football/Soccer Women's World Cup was still on here in New Zealand, & across the ditch in Australia) all the time in the world, & the reason why is most travelling fans are avoiding the US due to the boycott that is about the war on immigration (And chances are that if you criticise the country as well as their leaders, including the president &/or the vice president, that chances are that anyone will be risking deportation by being sent on a next flight home), just like in Australia in the aftermath of a Bondi Beach terror attack at Sydney in December last year for that really was Port Arthur 2.0 (Just like the Christchurch mass mosque massacre here in New Zealand in 2019 being billed as the sequel to Aramoana) that counted as the darkest moment that shocked the nation in history which triggered a war on hate speech, such as antisemitism being introduced as well as tweaks to the firearm legislations in the state of New South Wales for where violence related to guns, is rare in the country since 1996.

And thirdly in music that there is a rock band from Germany that I have never heard of just like fellow German rockers the Scorpions, then that techno music artist of ATB, & Pete Schilling who sang the 1983 hit 'Major Tom' about Milky Chance who was known for their 2013 hit of 'Stolen Dance', have released their song that came out last year that I first heard of Brian FM this year, called 'Camouflage' for which had been my fave from the band.

And finally in motor racing that the Japanese Grand Prix taking place on the 27th to 29th of March, will be the last before a 5 week, 35 day break had been announced since the Bahrain & Saudi Arabian GPs had been called off due to the war in the Middle East, such as Iran by the United States to suit all of the 11 constructors competing are focusing to continue to develop their cars in preparation for the Miami Grand Prix scheduled in May (And the drivers competing in the Formula One circuit, are like troops that are dispatched onto the battlefield while the F1 cars are like guns to start with (Especially high powered semi automatic rifles used in modern day invasions like that, just like the paramilitary units who use it in a Grand Theft Auto game), but they now use drones as their friend by taking out of eliminating enemy soldiers along since that dreadful invasion had began since 2022, is the first conflict in history involving drones), but it's been all Mercedes-AMG when they dominated the first 2 races such as Britain's George Russell who drew first blood down under in Australia (I thought the race went to Monaco's Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari), then his Italian teammate Kimi Antonelli in China (Meanwhile McLaren is starting to catch up because they acquired the upgrades that they recommended in order to be competitive in their defence of both the drivers & constructors championship, & have taken over from Ferrari as the 2nd fastest team on the grid (And they haven't found the competitive edge in the first 2 grands prix of the season before they made upgrades to the car that they obtained with for that had been confidently boosted) where he was the first Italian to win a Grand Prix, since Giancarlo Fisichella who was the last to do so since 20 years ago in a Renault in Malaysia back in 2006.

So that is my 693rd blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 45th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Be With You: My 44th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in gaming such as me playing Cricket 26 on the PS5 for the first time in a few months as of March 26th where the update had introduced shot force as well as shot force for types of strokes where I was overly impressed about it when I discovered that I set it to 100 so I had opportunities to hit sixes out of the park since the update came along, & I was once comparing gameplay to that Cricket 26 game to that Cricket 07 game that I own at the moment on PlayStation 2, & the Cricket 07 one was better than Cricket 26 (Where it had the best graphics than any other cricket sims all along) in terms of gameplay (But I have not played the Rugby League 26 game since because I have been enjoying that Rugby League 2 game on the PS2 that I always play, & I think I'm a gaming historian throughout), but there were players from the Ashes participating countries of both Australia & England in that era in Cricket 07 such as the late Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Ricky Ponting, Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook & Andrew Flintoff, compared to Cricket 26 where they had Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer & Jacob Bethell.

And secondly in the music that one of the old time bands of the Foo Fighters (Well, they're American because they were originally from Seattle in the state of Washington, but they're most experienced rockers of them all) have released new songs such as 'Caught in the Echo' that I heard on YouTube once along with another one of the old timers like the UK's rockers of Muse with their new hit, 'Be With You' from the upcoming album due for release in June this year called The Wow! Signal that is influenced on the space radio signal which circulated in 1977 as I heard on the radio station of Brian FM (My fave since I first heard it in 2015, but I started to listen it since because of the Rock FM always play ads on the radio compared to Brian which is commercial free) for which had a mixed reaction, saying that the sound of their new music is awesome while others think that it's just plain rubbish at the moment, along with the new rock acts (Well, they have been around since they released their major label debut studio album back in 2012 of Vessel) of America's Twenty One Pilots, also with their new song, 'Drag Path'.

And thirdly that why I always like ice hockey, because of me influencing Rejean (Well, I have not seen him along with Aunty Tan for like 84 days as of March 27th, but his 64th birthday is due on the last day of March on the 31st) who is also always an ice hockey watcher, but I mainly watch the rugby just like Pops (And we support the Hurricanes in Super Rugby Pacific, compared to Rejean who has been a Montreal Canadiens (Which is a team that currently competes in the NHL) fan throughout).

And lastly that the dramedy of the Fighting with my Family movie that came out back in 2019 (For which was a success in terms of rave reviews), was about a female wrestler named Paige (Who used to compete under her real name Saraya or Saraya Knight who was with AEW (Until she returned to the WWE recently, after 4 years away when she left in 2022 (8 years following her debut also back in 2014 where she took AJ Lee (Who also made a comeback to the WWE) a pounding to capture an unlikely win to claim the WWE Divas Championship title on Raw the night following WrestleMania XXX) at WrestleMania XLII where she teamed up with Brie Bella to replace the injured Nikki (Who is Brie's twin sister) to claim the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship altogether), just like the Canadian wrestler from AEW named Adam Copeland who once competed as Edge during his time in the WWE, but he's allowed to keep his nickname of 'The Rated R Superstar') being born from a tight knit wrestling family from Norwich in the UK about to break through the ranks (And her bro Zak should've joined because he did not make it) in the world of pro wrestling who was introduced by her mentor of the Rock (Dwayne Johnson), but they should have made a sequel after the newfound success of the movie about the life of Rhea Ripley who was also born from a family of wrestlers in Adelaide, Australia, to become one of the country's most successful professional wrestlers (Just like that they closely working on making a sequel to the highly successful F1: the Movie from last year starring Brad Pitt (The American Hollywood film star & A-lister) that was far better than the Sly Stallone CART Champ Car movie, Driven taken from back in 2001), but next year's WWE 2K game should focus on the career of the lady known as 'Mami' & 'The Eradicator' who is the modern day version of the late Chyna in terms of the comparison between the 2 female wrestling superstars, just like CM Punk did when they released the WWE 2K26 game that focuses the career of the man known as 'The Straight Edge Superstar', 'The Second City Saint', & 'The Best in the World'.

So that is my 692nd blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 44th of this year, viva Ukraine.

P.S. And the rock music industry was in mourning in February this year as the lead singer of the American rockers 3 Doors Down (Known for their hits such as 2000's breakthrough hit, 'Kryptonite', as well as 2002's 'When I'm Gone', & the most infamous one from back in 2003, 'Here Without You'), of Brad Arnold who he is gone because of him who sadly passed away after his lengthy but prolonged battle with cancer at the age of 47, so they've already sent their thoughts, prayers, & heartfelt condolences to the family of Arnold, & his loved ones, rest in paradise (RIP)/rest easy.

Brad Arnold

1978 - 2026

2 Minutes to Midnight: My 43rd Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in gaming that the other copy of the Star Wars Battlefront II PlayStation 2 game (Which seemed to be my fave PlayStation 2 game that I haven't played for 16 years since back in 2010 along with V8 Supercars 3 (It used to be my favourite racing game on the PS2 that I first played in 2007, until I stopped playing it in either also back in 2009/10) & Rugby 08 (It was last year that I first played it in back in 2007, & last played it in either back in 2008, '09 or '10), compared to GTA IV on the Xbox 360 that I play on the Xbox Series X console (I first played that game on the PS3 also back in 2012, until I stopped playing it until back in 2015/16), & Gran Turismo 7 on the PS5 (I first played it on the PS4 in March or April 2022, but I first played the PS5 version of it in September or October in the same year) that Aunty Tan (Who I have not seen her along with Rejean for 50 days as of the 21st of February this year) gave it to me seems to be working well, especially the disc since the original copy that I sold for 10 bucks at Cash Converters had not worked because I already own one (And I've got the PlayStation 2 version of it along with the first Battlefront game from 2004 that Aunty Tan also sent it to me, so too is the original Xbox version along with the aforementioned Battlefront '04 game that I both played on my Xbox Series X console that I've got along with the PlayStation 2 & the PS5 consoles, & the Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection on both PS4 & PS5 version that was released the year before, but it got panned according to most reviews about the multiplayer mode that was lacking due to its bugs & glitches being found, & I have not played it since (Well, I have played it as part of my comparisons to other versions of the ports), so I'm enjoying it right here (And I played my 2 favourite Jedi heroes of both Luke Skywalker & Obi-Wan Kenobi on instant action game mode (Compared to a pair of my fave villains of the Sith side, such as also both Darth Vader & Darth Maul), but I think I might've clocked Rise of the Empire single player campaign mode which is about the 501st legion during the height of the Clone Wars that took place as the Galactic Republic who would eventually become the Galactic Empire (Which is inspired by nationalist Germany during the late German leader & their regime in both the 1930s as well as 40s, intentionally designed by George Lucas to evoke the aesthetics, structure, and totalitarian nature of nationalist Germany, serving as a narrative archetype for fascism and authoritarian control. It features stormtroopers, SK-like uniforms, and a "Final Protocol" reminiscent of nationalist extermination, & to the extent of the Roman Empire, the late Napoleon Bonaparte, & American imperialism in Vietnam), until the events of the Battle of Hoth during the times of the Galactic Civil War).

And secondly in food related news such as me going to Burger King with Pops where I had the single whopper with cheese on the 19th of March, a day before we had Subway where I had the meatball sub on March 20th, then a day later when we went to the Cobb on the 21st of March where we had a butter chicken for dinner, then we had dessert such as the triple chocolate brownie, & finally on March 22nd that we went to Caroline's that I had a medium rare steak with mushroom sauce, chips & salad (But I always take food photos on my phone so I can post everything a winner, especially like a pro & boss as well).

And thirdly that I started to become a political insider, as well as observer & influencer all along since the situation has happened in Iran, especially the leadership of that dreadful American leader who started that war is a disgrace (And the Americans, they made them so damn evil (Especially the pro-far right wing conservative people), & of course, they share a border, with Canadians...And Mexicans), & the fuel prices have already changed according to the high inflation rate that had been spiked & skyrocketed (And it looks like both Dad & Pops would have to get EVs (Electric vehicles) within the next 6 months, but Pops had been thinking about it, & he will make a decision regarding of getting one, but he prefers to keep both cars because of him having a sufficient amount of money to pay for gas, so he earns $100k towards superannuation) so the Americans & the Iranians (Who could be winning the invasion in terms of taking the advantage of using their manpower) are battling to claim ownership of the island which is near the strait of Hormuz.

And finally that I was watching an old Super Rugby game from the archives which was way back in 2003 where the Hurricanes led by recently appointed All Blacks assistant coach Tana Umaga (Who is the newly named defensive coordinator, & is one of 5 assistants working under Dave Rennie that'll take us through to the next men's Rugby World Cup next year along with Neil Barnes (Who takes charge of senior leadership role, & is a lineout expert), Jason Ryan (A forwards coach who was the sole survivor under the departed Scott Robertson) & Scotsman Mike Blair (The most capped Scottish halfback who was the first foreign AB's assistant coach since Aussie Mick Byrne when he was once the kicking coach, & is set to be the offensive coordinator) as well as Phil Healey who takes over from Nic Gill who is heading to the Baltimore Ravens NFL franchise, as head of performance) had a close shave against the Queensland Reds at the old Ballymore ground in Brisbane where our franchise won by 3 points, not only because they are showing that match on Sky Sport NZ in anticipation to that match due to be held on the 28th of March (A day after Moana Pasifika play the Highlanders first at North Harbour Stadium in Albany (The one that the late Carole once lived near the venue before moving to Whanganui (Well I first met her in 2017 when she first visited that city) here where she once lived the Tikitere house (That is up for sale recently) for 7 years & 4 months, then she passed away in November last year), then an all important Aussie clash between the ACT Brumbies & the New South Wales Waratahs) between the 2 sides at the newly named Hnry Stadium in Wellington, just before the Blues take to the field at Eden Park against the Fijian Drua as part of the triple header along with the Western Force playing the Chiefs at HBF Park in Perth.

So that is my 691st blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 43rd of this year, viva Ukraine.

P.S. And the racing world was in mourning in May this year (Remember, they already lost NASCAR icon of American Kyle 'Rowdy' Busch due to brief sickness) as former Formula One driver as well as twice CART Champ Car world champion from both 1997 (That was the year after he won rookie of the year honours in IndyCar during the CART era way back in 1996, but he had a rivalry with Colton's dad Bryan Herta (Whose son is a bit of a lookalike of the now late Alex (The man who is effectually known as 'The Pineapple' throughout), according to one of the YouTube comments that I saw) from 1996 where he overtook him during the final lap of the race at the season ending event at Laguna Seca, then copped a bit of beef a year later until the rivalry ended when he returned to Formula One for the 1999 season after securing back to back titles with Chip Ganassi Racing in an unsuccessful tenure with Williams), & 1998 who lost both legs in a near fatal accident during an American open wheel race at the Lausitzring Speedway in Germany back in 2001 that ended his racing career according to the previous stories that I did on my blogs, & double Paralympic hand cycling gold medalist Alex Zanardi has passed away aged 59 back home in Padua, Italy, so all thoughts, prayers, & heartfelt condolences go to the family of Alessandro, & his loved ones (Although he is survived by his wife Daniela, & his son Niccolò altogether), requiescat en pace (RIP).

Alessandro 'Alex' Zanardi

1966 - 2026

Caught in the Echo: My 42nd Blog of the year 2026

Well, hey again, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger (And this is part 2 of my 35th birthday blog coming right at you guys because this is a double post, remember ladies & gents), but first that here are the results coming in about the latest round of Super Rugby Pacific which is round 6:

Highlanders 7 - 50 Hurricanes

ACT Brumbies 33 - 24 Chiefs

Fijian Drua 6 - 21 Queensland Reds

Moana Pasifika 21 - 50 Crusaders

& New South Wales Waratahs 20 - 35 Blues

Bye: Western Force

And secondly that in 2022 that the world was stunned just like 9/11 back in 2001 when the country who started that dreadful invasion on Ukraine (A year before the Gaza conflict began in 2023, & it lasted for 2 years until a ceasefire deal had been set up by the United States last year which was the year that America had implemented a certain tariff policy on imports coming into the country under that dreadful American leader) during the heights of the COVID pandemic (Which lasted for about 3 years from 2020 until also in 2023), but recently this year that the US made its decision to start a war on Iran, the world was stunned again, but both of these invasions could last forever because it may take a long time to end such wars like that.

And thirdly in gaming that I literally enjoyed playing the Rugby League 2 PlayStation 2 game that I bought from Dad on Trade Me, thinking that it's much better than Rugby League 26 (While that game, it is so much difficult to play, compared to Rugby League 2 for which is way easier (And modern day gaming stuff is just terrible at the moment, compared to old-school retro throwback kind of video game stuff, which is absolutely sick (That means it's good in the language of the younger generation of people) for which is a clanger, compared to Gran Turismo 7 that is a banger, & the Grand Theft Auto IV game being such a absolute banger, & a masterpiece according to the previous stories that I did on my blogs (And I have not mentioned the Star Wars Battlefront II 2005 game (Not the 2017 one) being another one of these bangers, so too is Rugby 08 as well as Cricket 07).

And lastly that both Aussie NRL league players are making the switch to rugby such as former Paramatta Eels player Zac Lomax who has signed a 2 year deal with the Western Force right through until next year, & Angus Crichton (Who is a Sydney Rooster this season) who'll head to the New South Wales Waratahs on a lucrative 2 year contract until the year after (And also Mark Nawaqanitawase who'll be heading back to rugby playing for a club competing in the Japanese competition also next year), so that both of these players can be selected for the Wallabies in their ambitions of ending a 28 year drought of becoming champions of the world in rugby (Well, they have not done that since 1999 (Held in Wales with matches being played in England, France, Ireland, & Scotland) where Australia (Who had given away just the one try during the entire tournament in that year which was against the United States during a pool match that was scored by Juan Grobler for the Americans) featuring the likes of John Eales, Phil Kearns, Tim Horan, Jason Little, George Gregan, Stephen Larkham, Toutai Kefu (Who had an enforcer role the last time the Aussies dominated the World Cup), Ben Tune, Joe Roff, Rod Kafer, & Matt Burke last triumphed at rugby's global showpiece event) when the men's Rugby World Cup takes place next year which gets underway with the opening match of the tournament between the host nation, & the tournament debutants Hong Kong China in Perth (And this is just like in 2007 that both Ryan Cross, & Clinton Schifcofske who crossed over to rugby from league when both of them played for the Western Force, & the Queensland Reds respectively, but this is similar to the trio of Mat Rogers, Wendell 'The Big Dell' Sailor, & Lote Tuqiri who were key cogs when Australia reached the final when they last hosted the tournament back in 2003, but fell short in the end against England (Who had former league player Jason Robinson playing for them, & had scored the try during the final) thanks to that match winning field goal at extra time by Jonny Wilkinson (Which was shades of Stransky in 1995 that he ended the All Blacks chances of regaining the title, & Wilkinson was the one who became the best first five in the world, until our own All Black Dan Carter took over from him therefore becoming the best in that position, up until his last game of international rugby to date for which was the final also back in 2015 against the Wallabies who last appeared in the final in which DC performed well as he racked up 19 points in that Carter had been awarded player of the game honours, his best match of Dan's international rugby career since the 38 points that he racked up in one of his all-time performances if not one of the best in the black jersey against the British & Irish Lions in Wellington back in 2005 during the 2nd test of the AB's-Lions series according to the previous stories on my blogs that I did), & then we had both Brad Thorn & Sonny Bill Williams who were league converts that were part of the winning squad also back in 2011 during our home men's Rugby World Cup (And SBW was involved in the winning side back in 2015 who were world champions again in that the last time that we were world beaters on that occasion for our country of New Zealand at that point).

So that is my 690th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 42nd of this year, viva Ukraine.

We Didn't Start the Fire: My 41st Blog of the year 2026 (AKA my 35th birthday blog special)

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but welcome to my 35th birthday blog special where I'll be referencing the 36 most important events happened throughout the last 35 years starting from my birth year from 1991, all the way until now this year during the present day (Just like that famous song from Billy Joel of 'We Didn't Start the Fire' came out in 1989, referencing from his birth year in 1949, until the year of that infamous smash hit had been released in that year for which has become one of my fave songs from Joel) which is 35 years, 36 references.

1991: The collapse of the Soviet Union

1992: The official end of the Cold War

1993: The inauguration of US President Bill Clinton

1994: The late Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa (The first African to do so, therefore marking the end of apartheid)

1995: The launch of Windows 95 by Microsoft

1996: Atlanta, Georgia, USA, hosts the Olympic Summer Games

1997: The tragic passing of Her late Royal Highness, the Princess of Wales in Paris, France

1998: The foundation of search engine Google

1999: The tragic Columbine High School shootings in Columbine, Colorado, USA

2000: Sydney, Australia hosts the Olympic Summer Games

2001: The tragic 9/11 terror attacks in the United States (One in New York, & others in both the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, & a wooden area in Shanksville, Pennsylvania) which marked the beginning of the war on terror (And it was reminiscent to the Pearl Harbor invasion in 1941 during World War II)

2002: The tragic terror bombings in Bali, Indonesia

2003: The U.S.-led war on Iraq, takes place as part of the war on terror

2004: A devastating earthquake & tsunami rips through the Indian Ocean on Boxing Day

2005: The Hurricane Katrina disaster in Louisiana, United States

2006: Italy winning their 4th Football/Soccer men's World Cup in Germany

2007: The tragic Virginia Tech shootings in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA

2008: The global financial economic recession (It was the worst financial crisis disaster since the Great Depression in 1929)

2009: The inauguration of the first African American president of the United States, Barack Obama (The best president that the US has ever had)

2010: Spain winning their 1st Football/Soccer men's World Cup in South Africa

2011: The tragic earthquake & tsunami in the Tohoku region of Japan that lead to the nuclear disaster in Fukushima

2012: London, UK hosts the Olympic Summer Games

2013: The tragic bombings during the marathon in Boston, Massachusetts, USA

2014: Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Beijing, China, mysteriously disappears (Never I have ever mentioned it on my blogs before)

2015: A pair of major tragic terror attacks in Paris, France, in January & November

2016: The UK's decision to vote of departing the European Union dubbed as 'Brexit'

2017: The inauguration of that American real estate tycoon who would first gone on to become president of the United States

2018: France winning their 2nd Football/Soccer men's World Cup in Russia

2019: The Notre-Dame Cathedral fire breaks out in Paris, France

2020: The start of the global COVID pandemic

2021: The global rapid COVID vaccine rollout begins

2022: Argentina winning their 3rd Football/Soccer men's World Cup in Qatar

2023: The end (Formally) of the global COVID pandemic

2024: Paris, France, hosts the Olympic Summer Games

2025: The return of that dreadful American leader who started his 2nd term in office as he regained his presidency

& 2026: The U.S.-led war in Iran, also takes place.

And secondly that why the hell would the United States led by that dreadful American leader (Who is by far, a complete, utter scumbag in terms of his leadership for that is a disgrace for America in terms of the propaganda, especially critics who are pro far-right conservative kind of people, & their stuff that I still can't stand meaning that the country is due to celebrate their double half century of becoming independent from the British in 1876 on the 4th of July when the late George Washington who became the first president of the United States is indeed, a white supremacist nation for there will be serious ramifications, obviously there'll be a couple of far-left wing liberal people who are getting pretty filthy are already starting to lose it) start a war in Iran (And possibly Mexico when these bozos who are lunatics when they pelted projectiles towards the Border & Customs Immigration officers who take aim with their guns, & shoot them in order to scare them off (But there has still been a war since 2023 between Sudan & South Sudan due to tensions that the situation over there had already been arisen, & also between Cambodia & Thailand who thought that the war is over last year, but it's been restarted since) when both the Bahrain & Saudi Arabian Grand Prix events have been called off along with the Gran Turismo World Series event in Abu Dhabi in the UAE? Because it's just like when that country had to cancel a Formula One event in 2022 (A year before the last Grand Prix race had been called off up until that point this year in Italy at the Imola circuit due to host the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix that was blighted by the intense flooding in the country in 2023) due to that country who started that dreadful invasion that began which had continued since (And New Zealand racing legend of Greg Murphy said on the Late Braking show on Sky Sport that both Grand Prix events in Bahrain & Saudi Arabia had been cancelled (So that all 11 constructors can focus of developing their cars so that they can get it right that time as part of a 35 day break coming that has being imposed between the Japanese & the Miami Grands Prix respectively, even teams like Aston Martin & the reigning constructors champions McLaren (Who have a world champion driver who won the title last year of former Toyota Racing Series champion from 2016 of Lando Norris) are still struggling along with Red Bull powered by Ford who turned out to be a disaster during qualifying to adapt to the new regs (And it's often compared to both Ferrari & Mercedes-AMG are dominating the front of the pack that has drawn parallels to 2017-18 levels where Lewis Hamilton took on Sebastian Vettel in terms of the title fight) but avoided mentioning of saying the word of war (For which is another word that I can't stand & trust with, along with both autocracy & propaganda, even though that I'm an anti-war activist type of person just like the late Carole who always does where she was the same as me when Carole was alive) which could be bad for most people (And if we were involved in that invasion that we would be targeted (But it is lucky that we're not due to our country being far away from the main epicentres of these conflicts in Iran (Well, that could be a blow for the US in a bid to end the current Iranian regime, compared to back in 2003 where the late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein got captured by those American special forces after months in hiding during the war in Iraq bringing a halt to the regime of Saddam who was sentenced to death for his war crimes), & in Ukraine), such as enemy forces unleashing an air strike that'll murder them for that) thinking that it is a political statement, oh my word (And the global crisis is incoming due to the disruption of the war in Iran meaning that there will be increases to the price of food & fuel is impacting our country of New Zealand which is bigger than COVID that we once had when the global pandemic was around between 2020 to 2023, meanwhile in China that a critical fertiliser shortage has threatened global food security in the middle of the Iran invasion meaning that the inflation rate is doubling the amount as we could be heading into a recession just like in 2008-09 where they once had the global financial economic crisis, or even worse, the great Depression from 1929-39 that lasted about a decade prior to the advent of World War II from 1939-45 (And it's been 81 years since the world hasn't had a global war since), especially that we're currently experiencing us New Zealanders during in a time that we're still in a cost of living crisis).

And thirdly that I just bought Tekken: Dark Resurrection game (For that is the standalone update for the Tekken 5 game that features new characters such as the socialite from Monaco named Lili who is willing to put an end to her dad's financial issues, the Russian Spetsnaz soldier named Sergei Dragunov who is dispatched to bring the bearer of the Devil Gene of Jin Kazama (The protagonist of the Tekken series & future Mishima Zaibatsu leader (As seen in the ending in the leadup to the events of Tekken 6 where they started a war against the rest of the world) to justice, & the brother of the original Armor King who got killed by Craig Marduk of the 2nd Armor King + the returning 32 playable characters from the original Tekken 5 release, including Mishima Polytech schoolgirl Ling Xiaoyu, JACK-5, Lili's would-be bitter rival of Asuka Kazama, Yoshimitsu, Feng Wei, Hong Kong police detective Lei Wulong, as well as Jin, & Jin Kazama's abusive grandad who was once the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu of Heihachi Mishima) that was originally released on PlayStation Portable which was arguably by far, the best fighting game on the planet on that portable console on both the PS4 (The version that I mainly play with) & PS5 versions on PlayStation Network, & it is a good game (And I had their characters such as Jin, Xiaoyu & Asuka, restore back to their original colours from Tekken 5 (Then I did Marshall Law (One of my Malaysian besties fave Tekken characters because I thought it was Ling Xiaoyu) on the 21st of March, but I will be doing Paul Phoenix a day later on March 22nd for which I literally did), but it is way better than Tekken 6 PSP version that I have got (And I've got 6 Tekken games overall such as Tekken 2 that I never played on both the PS4 & PS5 versions, as well as Tekken 3 that I've got, & the last 4 Tekken games that I have at the moment such as the aforementioned Tekken: DR, then the also aforementioned Tekken 6, then 7 & 8).

And finally that I was rewatching a old Super 14 game on Sky Sport from 2010 between the Highlanders & the Hurricanes at the iconic 'House of Pain' Carisbrook ground (A year before 'The Glasshouse' of Forsyth Barr Stadium (One of both covered stadiums here in our country along with the soon to be opened Te Kaha Stadium in Christchurch due in April this year, all in the South Island according to the previous stories on my blogs before) opens its doors in time for the 2011 men's Rugby World Cup tournament) in anticipation of the clash between the 2 sides on the 20th of March during round 6 where the Canes won by 2 points against them in a high scoring affair as 64 points were scored overall between the 2 teams, meanwhile that the Rugby 08 game had players in that era such as Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Schalk Burger, Yannick Nyanga, Jonny Wilkinson, Brian O'Driscoll, Shane Williams, George Gregan, Percy Montgomery, Agustin Pichot, Stephen Larkham, Lawrence Dallaglio, & Bryan Habana, compared to today that there is modern day players such as Ardie Savea, Wallace Sititi, Antoine Dupont, Eben Etzebeth, Marcus Smith, Len Ikitau, Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i, Tom Wright, Tadhg Beirne, Tadhg Furlong, Marcos Kremer, Julian Montoya, Dewi Lake, Jac Morgan, Finn Russell, Ange Capuozzo, Michele Lamaro & Tommaso Menoncello.

Enjoy

So that is my 689th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 41st of this year, viva Ukraine.

P.S. And the motor racing world is in mourning, stunned & in shock as Kyle Busch, the twice NASCAR Cup Series champion in both back in 2015 & 2019, has passed away recently as a result of severe pneumonia, aged 41 in Charlotte, North Carolina in the United States (And remember, they already lost Greg Biffle due to a fatal plane crash that occurred in December last year in Statesville, North Carolina in America, but Busch becomes the first active full-time NASCAR driver to pass away during the season since Dale Earnhardt Sr 25 years ago, also back in 2001 where Dale Sr was involved in a fatal accident during the great American race of the Daytona 500) where he was passed out in a Chevrolet simulator just before his passing as he was found not responsive in fact as he coughed out blood after being in GM's "Driver-in-the-Loop" sims are said to be "As close as drivers can get to racing without actually strapping in" as simulator sessions have become a major part of modern race preparation, especially for teams dialing in setups and helping drivers who train, or practice in situations like in a real-life race as he collapsed, then transported to a hospital where the illness had been severe, but all thoughts, prayers, & heartfelt condolences go to the family & his loved ones back home in the US, rest in pieces (RIP).

Kyle Busch

1985 - 2026